Maybe I'm just too cynical, but it doesn't surprise me to read a report like this one from the Associated Press this week alleging that Chevron's partner in some oilfields offshore Liberia paid bribes to the Liberian legislature and that Chevron "ignored evidence of corruption" when it bought into the project a year ago.

The allegations are directed at a west African oil company called Oranto Petroleum as well as NOCAL, the national oil company of Liberia. According to a report from watchdog organization Global Witness, both Oranto and NOCAL made payments in excess of $120,000 to members of the Liberian legislature in order to facilitate approval of oil contracts. Chevron holds a 70% stake in the nascent exploration venture, Oronto 20% and NOCAL 10%.

A Chevron spokesman emailed me the obligatory vague denial about the dustup: “Chevron’s engagement with the Liberian Government in relation to our blocks has been made in accordance with all applicable legal and regulatory requirements. For competitive and commercial reasons, Chevron does not release specific financial details. Chevron will continue to work with the Liberian Government to evaluate the country's petroleum resources.”

The Global Witness report makes for interesting reading, but it doesn't even begin to get into what to me is the most interesting part of this story -- who's behind Oronto Petroleum?

Well, some creative Googling reveals that Oronto Petroleum is controlled by Prince Dr. Arthur Ikpechukwu Eze. If his hagiography is to be believed, Eze is descended from royalty and is considered to be the "clan head" or even "god father" of Dunokofia Kingdom, which is located in Nigerian state of Anambra.

The Prince Doctor appears to have some pull. According to his bio page he is:

The philanthropist has proved tenacious negotiator in his aggressive exploration programme which played a key role in resolving a longstanding maritime boundary dispute in some countries. Prince Eze is now on a roll with various technical partners ranging from Roc Oil, Pioneer Natural Resources of USA, Canoxy, Transworld of USA, LukOil of Russia, Tetra, Noble, Kosmos Engergy of USA, , Petronas of Malaysia, DNO of Norway, TransAtlantic Petroleum of the US and Canada's, Nexen and Devon Energy of USA.

Known for his kind hearted, generous and expansive personality, the Prince is well-known in Nigeria's Byzantine business world and has been active behind the scenes on the political stage since the early 1990s. The Prince regularly made headlines in the country's vibrant political press during the Abacha era, principally for his perceived role as political power-broker in his native state of Anambra.

Note the last bit -- his "perceived role" a power broker during the rule of Nigeria's notorious dictator Sani Abacha. A murderer and kleptocrat said to have looted $500 million from Nigeria and ordered the execution of human rights activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, Abacha died in 1998. (Of course you can't believe everything you read in Wikipedia, but its page on Abacha is riveting, and there's lots of solid references to his actions and legacy.)

Granted, Liberia is not Nigeria. But bribery is a problem there. In a speech earlier this month Liberia's President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf said that her administration is fighting corruption. She has created an "Anti Corruption Commission" and proposed a Whistleblower Act and a Freedom of Information Act. But, she said, Liberia's legal system is so dysfunctional "that it will take tremendous reforms to make it work"